


For A Thousand Years

by jtina_criss



Category: Frozen (2013), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-09 18:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1149300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jtina_criss/pseuds/jtina_criss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Frozen and RotG: Elsa and Jack are in different times and they both know something's missing – Jack feels like he's missing something important from his memories. Elsa misses and yearns for her best... and only friend. Something's missing. Something needs to change. This the story of how they find each other again, across time. *bad summary, but please check it out anyway*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey guys! So this is a crossover of ROTG and Frozen featuring Elsa and Jack. It's a little different and is definetly going to be a pretty long multi-chapter fic, but I have a really good idea of where this is going (I already outlined the plot and everything) so I'm going to be updating pretty regularly. Review please! Tell me what you think and I'm always open to suggestions! xoxo shinegirl
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.

Prolouge

"Hail the Queen!" A loud cry rang out as Queen Elsa of Arendelle strolled through the city square, nodding at her people and smiling as children around stopped to stare at her.

"Can you make it snow, Queen Elsa? Please?" A young girl asked, widening her eyes.

Laughing, Elsa agreed and created a quick, small flurry to entertain her latest admirers. Elsa kept going, greeting, smiling and keeping the royal, dignified look on her face. All the while, she kept her eyes open, searching for one face. The one face she'd been haunted by since she was young. The first one to ever know about her power.

 _He found out and then left me!_ Elsa though bitterly. All the acceptance in the world couldn't change the fact that the one person who spent her lonely childhood with her left and never returned. The only logical assumption that Elsa could make was that he had found out about her powers.

Sighing in resignation with yet another unsuccessful scouting trip through the city, Elsa trudged up to her room, ignoring her sister's gleeful shouts from across the hall, curled up in her bed and closed her eyes, her heart pining for the one mystery left in her wonderful life.

_Where are you, Jack?_

Jack Frost was in the North Pole. Actually, he was on Santa's huge furry couch, repeatedly poking the Easter Bunny with his cold, bare toes and bored out of his mind with yet another irritating lecture about "guardian shit", as he so lovingly called it. The whole thing, being a guardian and all that jazz wasn't all they worked it up to be. He mostly just did the same thing, but with amazing friends and believers. Jack smiled in spite of himself. The whole "sitting quietly during Santa's lectures" shebang was pretty worth it when it came with real friends and believers.

He was also pretty damn glad to have his memories back too. Well, most of them, at least. Or, only the important ones, he liked to tell himself. He had all the ones he absolutely needed to know.

But, the others... there was a lot missing, when he really thought about it, huge chunks of time and space just completely void. Jack dismissed the thought again. _It is 2014 and you've been living without those troublesome things for a pretty long time._ Does it really matter? He argued with himself.

 _Yes, yes it does,_ he thought solemnly. Deep down, Jack knew that it mattered a lot because he could feel something missing. Something, someone... he groaned out loud, catching the attention of his fellow guardians.

"Something the matter, Jack?" Santa asked, in his heavy Russian accent.

"Nope, not a thing, North." Jack sighed, but blew a flurry at Santa's face anyway, catching the big man by surprise and grinning when he got the reaction he'd wanted.

"Jack! You insufferable little-!"

"Gotta go old man! Catch ya in a bit!" Jack grinned and took off through the window, flying to clear his head. He could think about missing memories and beautiful blonde hair another time. Now, he was the guardian of fun and he aimed to please. That didn't stop him from softly singing the small tune that had been running through his head since he got his memory back.

_Let it go, let it go. Can't hold it back anymore…._


	2. For the First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! So I kinda need a beta for this story? If anyone wants to beta it... yeah. That'd be wonderful! Shoot me a PM or something! Also, just to clear a few things up. Each chapter (for now) follow a similar pattern. Jack or Elsa will begin the chapter, giving us a peek into their daily lives and when one of them falls asleep, we get the back story behind them. For Elsa, she's just remembering her best friend. For Jack, he's rediscovering his memories. Soon, (when the plot TWISTS! :P) the chapters will no longer follow this format and it'll be a lot more straight up. Thanks for the reviews, by the way! You really made my day and I should have the next chapter up by tonight? Or tomorrow night... at the latest!
> 
> Please read, review and share! Enjoy!

**A/N: Review please!**

**Chapter 1**

_Let it go, Let it go. Turn away and slam the door! Here I stand and here I'll stay. Let the storm rage on. The cold never bothered me anyway._

Elsa hummed her favorite song while she completed the long overdue paperwork for the trade route that was going to cut through the Southern Sea and to the Indian Ocean.

 _Too much work…_  Elsa shuffled through some more papers, eyes already sore from reading through all the clauses and it wasn't even noon yet.

"Elsaaaaaa!" Ana jumped into the study, pushing open the door without even knocking. Elsa considered reprimanding her, but thought better of it. She owed Ana for years of knocking and not opening the door. God knows, she'd probably tell Ana to leave because she had to finish her work. Looking over her lovely sister with pride and love, she motioned for her to continue, smirk on her face.

"Yes, Ana, what is it?"

"Okay…" Ana got a mischievous look on her face, like she usually did when she was trying to hide something. Probably her true intentions, Elsa's mind supplied helpfully. "So remember that ice trip Kristoff was going to take? Through the East Snow Straits? I was wondering if maybe, well… since there's really not much for me to do here… I could….. gowithKrisofftothemountainsfor1week." Ana finished in a rush.

"Ana!" Elsa stopped her sister with a smirk. "Slower please?"

"Can I go with Kristoff to the mountains for a week?" Ana asked, her face pink with a rapidly spreading blush.

Elsa smiled and decided to put Ana out of her misery.

"Yes, you may go." Ana squealed and jumped for joy, heading towards the door and Elsa just couldn't resist adding, "Oh, and make sure to take Olaf with you! No funny business, Ana." Elsa tried to hold her laughter in as Ana's ears turned a rich shade of red. Blushing furiously, Ana left her sister's room. Elsa smiled fondly at her retreating form and got back to her work. She thought of her ice palace and the wonderful place she'd left behind.

 _I haven't visited in over a year… I miss my palace._ Elsa thought. Elsa sorted through papers absentmindedly while she thought about how much her life had changed in the past few years. Elsa's eyes grew bleary as she read through the many clauses of her trading agreements.

**_XXII: The Islands of the Southern Seas require ample access to the cargo going to and from…. Merida….. and the Indian Ocean….. with… Jack… and snow… to the….. Infirmary…._ **

Elsa's eyes fluttered shut.

* * *

Elsa was only 11 when she first met him. The irritating stranger with chocolate eyes and the brightest smile she'd ever seen. She saw him first. She was looking outside her window, longing for the outside world. She saw a young boy running in the courtyard and wondered what it would be like to run free like that. Elsa leaned too close to the window, covering the sill and glass in frost. That was the day she got her gloves. Elsa sat in her room and repeated the mantra she'd been taught since that fateful day with Ana.

_Conceal it, don't feel it. Don't let it show._

Young Elsa let her head fall onto her tear-stained pillow, surrendering to the relentless stream of tears that just wouldn't stop pouring from her baby blue eyes.

Jack was not having a good day. An older brother loves to see his sister smile, even though he loves teasing her too. Emma was sick. She was terribly sick and Jack had no idea what to do. He didn't know who to talk to or ask. His mother was constantly at Emma's side, trying to get the young girl to open her eyes. Emma's pulse was weak and her breathing was shallow when Jack came back from school. He knew he needed to find  _something._

"Aye mate, I swear on it. Ther' be cartloads of those a' bittersweet roots. Miracle cures, I tell ya. Worked wunders on me lass." A palace guard was saying. Jack crouched down and tried to see what was going on. A big, Russian solider was speaking with a tan, shorter man who was loading crates into a wagon.

"Ye don't say?" said the tan man, stretching his arms behind his head and exposing a large anchor on his bicep.

 _Sailor, then…_ Jack guessed from his hiding spot.

"I swear on me mother's grave, ya! Me lil' girl was saved. Some root up in the castle, I hear. I took a sample from the crates before they loaded them, ya? Me lass cleared up in one night!"

"How many are there?" The sailor asked.

"Enough to last 'em about a year, I suppose." The guard replied, shrugging his burly shoulders.

Jack had heard enough. He knew what he needed. While the guard and sailor were busy discussing the "quality of cigars in Spain", Jack shot out from his hiding spot and latched onto the underside of the cart, sheathing himself behind the wheels. Soon enough, the guard grabbed the reins of the donkey attached to the cart and steered the wagon into the palace gates.

 _I'm in! And not a moment too soon…_ Jack though excitedly, already cramping up from his tight position.

As soon as the guard turned his back, Jack rushed out, sprinting across the courtyard and searching for the one entrance where he wouldn't get caught: the servants' entrance.  _Yes!_ Jack thought when he found the old wooden door surrounded by various cleaning devices and a shed for tools. He looked around quickly before rushing through the door.

The royal palace was more confusing than his famous riddles. He wandered for a long time before finding yet another doorway that led to an enormous staircase. Amazed, he took in the grand ballroom for a full minute before remembering why he was there in the first place.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the bottom of the staircase and Jack immediately hid under a covered table. Peeking under, he saw a young girl, about his sister's age climb out of the arms of a suit of armor and pick up her fallen bike. Singing to herself about talking to paintings on the wall, the young girl skipped through another doorway and Jack found himself grinning at the girl's optimistic exterior. She reminded him a lot of his own sister. Jack's smile fell away as quickly as it had appeared and Jack ran up the stairs, taking 2 at a time.

Once he'd reached the top, Jack examined each of the doors carefully before slowly creaking the door open. He tried this with 3 doors and almost got caught once. Frustrated, he turned to the next door. It was a white once with something like… flowers? Maybe snowflakes, painted on it. It looked like the door to an infirmary. By this point, Jack was beyond pissed. He barreled into the next door and froze when he fell into the room of a girl around his age. The girl's eyes shot open and she opened her mouth to scream. Jack immediately kicked the door closed and jumped to cover her mouth. She panicked, trying to get him away from her. She pushed him and he tried his best to keep her still, just long enough to talk to her. Instead, the pretty blond had other idea, biting down on his hand until he hissed in pain and kicking him off the bed, but not before she lost her balance and took a tumble herself. Jack shook his head angrily and swiftly cornered the girl.

"Stop. Don't scream, please! I'm not trying to hurt you or anything. I promise! Just hear me-" Jack began in a hurried whisper.

"I-I-I'm c-calling the gua-guards," came the girl's trembling reply. Jack honestly didn't know whether to yell at her or comfort her. The girl was so scared and she was just a kid, really. Jack exhaled loudly and tried again.

"No, please. Seriously, just listen to me. Hey there, calm down." Jack tried, slowly moving closer to the trembling girl with his palms out. "Don't be scared. There is nothing to be afraid of! I'm just a regular guy, a kid, just like you." The girl seemed to calm down a bit, but her eyes were still wide and tensed. Jack thought frantically, trying to keep his face the picture of serenity. "I'm only here because I need help. I-I need…. Medicine?" Jack tried to be as subtle as possible to protect his family's identity. The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Medicine?" she asked, her voice a little stronger, less afraid. "Why would you come to my room for medicine? Are you an idiot?" She scrunched up her little nose in confusion. Paired with her raised eyebrow, Jack felt like an idiot standing in front of this young girl, who was probably younger than him.

"How was I supposed to know it wasn't the infirmary? The door's painted white with flowers!" Jack argued.

"Snowflakes, not flowers!" Elsa countered.

"I suspected as much…" Jack muttered. "Ugh, anyway. I need to get to the infirmary. Literally, just give me 5 minutes!"

"Are you sure you can get there  _and_ find what you're looking for in 5 minutes? I mean…. You ended up walking into a  _princess's_  room instead of an infirmary so…." The girl said, genuinely curious.

"You're a princess? Great! So you can help me right? You've lived here your whole life!" Jack went to grab the girl's hand but she pulled away, her eyes wide and terrified again.

 _What have I done this time?_  He groaned.

"No! Why would I help you?" She yelled.

"Keep your voice down, you idiot!" Jack hissed through clenched teeth.

The girl gasped, not used to being chastised by…. commoners. "Well, fine then. If I'm an idiot, you obviously don't need my help. Because,  _I'm an idiot, right?_ " The girl smirked and turned away, settling herself back on her bed and Jack ran his hands through his unruly hair.

He needed to appeal to the princess, not insult her. He composed himself and approached the valiant little girl cautiously.

"Princess…" Jack began, unsure.

"Elsa." the girl said softly.

 _Oh, that's her name. Whoops, she thought I didn't know her name… Oh well, at least now I won't call her Ana._  Jack thought quickly.

"Okay, Princess Elsa, can we start over? I'm really, very sorry for calling you an idiot. I was just angry and I wasn't thinking."

"…. And?" Elsa raised the infamous eyebrow.

"…. And for….. breaking into your home? And scaring you. And fighting with you? But that was kind of your fault too…and for.."

"Okay, okay. Continue." She said hastily. Jack smiled and continued.

"Okay well, I am sorry. My name is Jack. I –I need your help. I need medicine. I heard some guards talking about some root that can heal her and I thought if I got it-"

"Her?" Elsa interrupted.

"Oh, my little sister, Emma. She's 8. She's really sick and… I need her to get better. I'm desperate now. I can't lose her. " Jack's voice cracked as he lowered his head to his hands, the thought of losing his sister finally hitting him like bolt of lightning.

Elsa gasped as she watched the strong boy from 5 minutes ago transform into a wreck.

"My sister's eight as well. I know what you mean. You have to protect her, right? I'd do anything for my sister. I just – I almost lost Ana once. I'd give anything to never that way again." Elsa said, memories of that painful day haunting her again. Jack looked up at her, marveling at the girl who finally understood his desperate desire to protect her sister.

"I'll help you." Elsa said, determined.

"Thank you." said Jack, truly grateful.

Elsa made sure not to touch him again, the strange boy who she saw in the courtyard earlier.  _Jack_ , she thought. Jack had a sister to get home to. Elsa thought about Ana, cold and almost lifeless in her arms and motioned for Jack to follow her as she quickened her pace. That girl was going to live. Princess Elsa of Arendelle would make  _sure_  of it.

Elsa hid from the servants and took corridors that only she knew about. She snuck into the servant quarters and out to the storage rooms. Luckily, she knew exactly what 'root' Jack was talking about. She'd heard a guard talk to Miss Lucie, a maid who'd helped him steal some for his daughter. She knew that it had worked and was sure that it would work on Jack's sister too.

Elsa searched for the root while Jack stood helplessly in the corner of the room.

"Well? Are you going to help?" Elsa asked, not turning away from her work.

"Yeah, I just – well, I mean. Yes. Here, let me just… Umm, well… okay." Jack bent over a crate and began shuffling through the plants in it. Elsa finally looked over and grinned.

"Have you found it yet?" She asked, hiding her smile.

"What, I, uh… um no. Not yet – I mean… Have you?" Jack tried, keeping his eyes downcast, worried lines appearing across his forehead. Elsa realized their race against the clock and took pity on him.

"Here," she said, reaching into the crate he was shuffling through. "These are the roots you're looking for." She pulled a purplish root with yellow ends and a few leaves and handed it to the desperate boy. "Go save your sister." She said softly.

Jack looked at her and a smile slowly spread across his face, until his face was covered in the happiest, most relieved and brightest smile she'd ever seen in her life.

"Thank you, Elsa."

"Bye Jack." Elsa said, trying the name on her tongue.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise!" He grinned, taking off through the quarters and off into the courtyard, racing back to give his sister the root.

Elsa smiled and practically floated up to her room.

 _I saved someone!_  She thought happily.  _I saved someone, I'm not a monster after all…_  Elsa smiled a real smile for the first time since her "accident" and for the first time in  _years,_  Elsa did not cry herself to sleep.

* * *

_"I'll make it up to you, I promise!"_

Jack woke up with a start, his memories and dreams bleeding into his consciousness, creating a killer headache and causing him to send icicles shooting into Bunny's rolling green hills.

"Ugh, Bunny's going to  _kill me_ " Jack thought sadly. "But his face when he comes in will be priceless." Jack started to chuckle, his headache slowly fading, images of the Australian kangaroo's shocked face chasing away the memories of a promise made over 300 years ago to a beautiful blond girl who would do anything to save someone, even if it meant losing herself.

He had eternity to separate dreams from reality, so Jack spent his afternoon making it snow in Bunny's sunny Easter palace. He could dream about the girl another time.


	3. Hide-And-Seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey y'all! So I kinda need a beta for this story? If anyone wants to beta it... yeah. That'd be wonderful! Shoot me a PM or something! Also, just to clear a few things up. Each chapter (for now) follow a similar pattern. Jack or Elsa will begin the chapter, giving us a peek into their daily lives and when one of them falls asleep, we get the back story behind them. For Elsa, she's just remembering her best friend. For Jack, he's rediscovering his memories. Soon, (when the plot TWISTS! :P) the chapters will no longer follow this format and it'll be a lot more straight up. Thanks for the reviews, by the way! You really made my day and I should have the next chapter up by tonight? Or tomorrow night... at the latest!
> 
> So this story was inspired by a lot, but this was what got me off my butt and actually writing:
> 
> www . buzzfeed.com/ pauljamez / jack-and-elsa-would-make-the-cutest-couple- 2kjh
> 
> Remove the spaces and squeal over the cuteness <3
> 
> Please read, review and share! Enjoy!
> 
> (I forgot the disclaimer in Ch. 1 so I'm putting it here: I DON'T OWN NOTHING BUT DAT YOUNG PLOT. #SwagLikeCailou ;D)

Jack knew that something was up when Tooth flew out of the room as soon as he came in…  _again._ Jack just couldn't understand why Tooth would look him in the eye. He knew something was up. He just needed to figure out what. Later that day, Jack hid out at Tooth's place and created a plan with Babytooth and some of the other fairies.

"Okay guys, shhh!" he exclaimed when he flew in, unexpectedly. The girls started buzzing excitedly, filling the hall with high chirps and chiming. "No, seriously! Come on, girls! I need your help! Calm down for a second." Jack said with a small smile. The fairies could always cheer him up. They were bubbly and optimistic and their enthusiasm was contagious.

A hush fell over the fairies and Jack began talking.

"Okay girls. First off, do you know why Tooth has been voiding me lately?" Jack asked, not really expecting an answer, but shocked when every single fairy turned her face away and blushed.

"Am I missing something?" Jack asked, slightly pissed now and very confused. "Will someone please tell me what everyone seems to be hiding from me?" Jack yelled at the fairies who all flew away, except for Babytooth. "Babytooth, what's going on?"

Babytooth pointed at the memories down gathered in the vaults.

"The memories?  _My memory?_  Is that what all this is about?" Jack asked, each word higher than the last. Babytooth nodded again and tried to explain something and Jack added this time to the long list of times he wished he could understand the fairies.

"Jack!" a shrill, feminine voice cut through. Tooth was back. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Tooth, please." Jack pleaded. "Tell me what happened. What's going on with my memory. I have these – these dreams… and I keep seeing this girl and that – that song comes back and now you say something's missing from my memory? What –"Jack babbled, eyes wide and imploring.

Tooth gasped. Jack almost never begged like this.  _He must be desperate,_  she thought sadly.

"Jack," she began. "I can't help you, at least, not now. Even I don't know exactly what's wrong, but the Man in the Moon said something to North and he's trying to figure out what he meant. We don't have much, but He wants to talk to you, Jack." Tooth finished softly.

"He? You mean – Him? The Moon?"

"Well, the Man in the Moon, but yes. Him."

"Tooth, he hasn't really talked to me since I became a guardian and before that, he ignored me for 300 years."

"Jack, he obviously didn't ignore you! Look, he chose you to be a guardian and-"

"And I'm thankful for that!" Jack interrupted. "I just don't know if I trust  _the Man in the Moon_  with this memory that's obviously very important and has been haunting me since I got my memories back. I don't know what I dream up and what's real!" Jack ran his hands through his white, unruly hair.

"Jack, I think you should try to talk to him again. We're all trying to figure this out and he obviously knows something really important." Tooth suggested gently.

"Okay." Jack mumbled, so softly that Tooth almost didn't catch it.

"Okay?" Tooth widened her eyes comically.

"Don't look so surprised…" Jack muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I'm not – I just, well you know…" Tooth blushed, trying to regain her composure. "I mean, just make sure you come back to the North Pole when North rings the alarm, alright? We all know something's going to happen and your gobsmack in the middle of it all. Just don't push us out, okay Jack?"

"Yeah, of course not." Jack smiled and gave Tooth a hug.

"Bye Jack!"

"See ya, Tooth!" Jack waved as he flew to the place it all started.

Jack flew through the night sky, a pale, skinny figure outlined in silver by the full moon's light. On the way, he threw a couple flurries and frosts into passing towns, chuckling when he heard groans of irritation overwhelmed by the shouts of joy. He loved his job. He got to make people happy.  _I am the guardian of Fun, after all,_ he thought haughtily.

As Jack neared the small frozen lake where he first was named "Jack Frost", he grew inexplicably tired. Surprised at his lack of energy, Jack pushed himself to land in the trees surrounding the lake.

The Moon shone down on him, almost like a spotlight, but it just made him drowsier.

Jack stared at the silver orb and opened his mouth to speak when the world went black.

* * *

Emma was fine. Elsa had been right; the root worked like magic and now his sister was back to her regular endearing self. Jack was happy that his sister was back to normal and he spent even more time with her, taking her sledding and ice skating more and more often.

The one thing that plagued his mind was the mysterious princess he'd met at the castle. He remembered the promise he'd made to her a few weeks ago and wondered if she thought about him too. Jack decided it was time to keep his promise to Princess Elsa, so he got to work.

Gathering his things, he thought about what he could do to repay a  _princess_ who has  _saved his sister's life._  Kind of a toughie… if Jack thought getting his mother a birthday present was difficult, he was way in over his head this time.

Jack's intense and frankly, disappointing trail of thought was broken by a ball of energy with brown eyes and hair.

"Jack!" Emma squealed, jumping into his lap. "Will you braid my hair please? You do it the bestest ever!" Emma widened her eyes at her older brother. For a 12 year old male, Jack was awfully good at braiding and fashion. He liked to keep it a secret, but honestly, he was an older brother that doted on his little sister like nobody's business. He would have had to learn how to braid sooner or later.

Sighing, he agreed, settling Emma between his legs and starting working through her hair.

"Emma, I have a question for you."

"Yeah?"

"I just need some advice, okay?"

"Okay!"

"It's just that…. You're a girl and I need some girly advice, alright?"

"Jack!" Emma turned around, exasperated. "Just ask me already."

"Emma!" Jack scolded. "You ruined your braid! Now I have to start all over again!" Jack said hastily.

"It's not like you got very far anyway…" Emma muttered.

"Anyway, so I have this friend… is she a friend? Okay, not really a friend, but more of an acquaintance? Yeah, an acquaintance! Well, she helped me out once and I kind of need to pay her back, but I have no idea what to do." said Jack.

"So you need a present?" Emma asked, trying not to turn around.

"I mean – well… yeah. I need an idea."

"Easy, give her a friend. Everyone likes friends. I have Mary, remember? You gave me Mary and she was the bestest present ever!" Emma grinned widely, straining to see her older brother.

Jack rolled his eyes, fighting off a smile. He should have known better than to get advice from an 8 year old. Mary was the doll Jack had given Ana for her seventh birthday and she had treasured it ever since. She called Mary her 'best friend' and Jack was happy that his present made her that happy, but he doubted that he could just give Princess Elsa a doll and walk away with any semblance of dignity left.

Finishing the braid, Jack tied it off with a purple bow, Emma's favorite color.

He wondered what Elsa's favorite color was…

Jack had not returned. It wasn't like Elsa was  _expecting_ him to come back and keep his "promise". On the contrary, Elsa was pretty sure she would never see him again. Still, it disappointed her a little that Jack didn't prove her wrong. He seemed different… somehow… Elsa gave up on the stupid hope that the boy would come back and instead snuck down to the dining hall to grab a quick snack, making sure to avoid Ana and any staff members who came her way.

Elsa dashed across the long dining hall and dug through fruits, bread, vegetables, meat and leftover stews until… Aha! Elsa found the box of chocolates Miss Lucie had so carefully hid away.

Triumphant in her ventures, Elsa turned to return to the solitude of her room but ended up stumbling into a bony shoulder attached to a thin, rigid body.

"Whoa there, little thief," came a smirking remark. Elsa huffed and refused to look into the speaker's eyes. She could just  _hear_  the smirk in his voice.

"Well, if it isn't the directionally impaired  _commoner._ " Elsa huffed, avoiding his imploring eyes. She tried to walk around him but he reached out and grasped her shoulders, holding her in place.

"Els – I mean, Princess Elsa, I came to see you. Remember what I said to you? I said I'd make it up to you." Jack began. He tried to sound as official as he could, puffing out his chest while trying to get the Princess to  _look at him._  "Well, that's what I am here to do." He said, enunciating every syllable.

Elsa raised her eyebrows.

 _Those eyebrows. How does she have such fine eyebrows? She's my age!_  Jack though helplessly. Yet, he was happy that she had finally met his eyes.

"Well?" Elsa asked impatiently.

"Oh, um…" Jack realized that he was staring and quickly averted his eyes, missing Elsa's small peal of laughter. "Well, I – uh, I don't really know what you like. So I just came to ask. You know, to find out what you like so I can get you a present or something." Jack hesitated.

"Oh," Elsa didn't know what to say to that. "Um, I have to get back to my room, so do you want to just come with me and we can talk up there?" she asked innocently.

Jack agreed and they made their way back to Elsa's room. When they got there, they both let out an internal sigh of relief. That was  _awkward_. It was a lot easier when they were fighting and snarky banter was exchanged, but being civilized took its toll on both of them.

"So…" he began.

"So…" she pressed her lips together, looking at him expectantly.

"What's your favorite color?" Jack blurted.

"Oh, um," said Elsa, taken aback. "Blue… well, more like an ice blue, you know?"

"Yeah, that sounds cool." Jack responded, happy to have some semblance of conversation flowing between them.

"What's yours?" Elsa asked as she settled herself on her bed, patting across from her for Jack to sit down.

"I like all colors." Jack said as he sat down, crossing his legs in front of him. "I like how colors go together. Does that make sense? I love the color purple and I think the ice blue you just described would look fantastic with it. That would be an awesome color combination." Jack explained.

"Hmm, you're right." Elsa said, after some thought. She wondered if she could wear an ice blue dress under her royal purple robe, because Jack was absolutely right; those colors went together perfectly. "Chocolate?" Elsa asked, offering the box to him.

Jack took a chocolate and they sat in silence for a bit.

"So, how's your sister?" Elsa asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh! She's wonderful! She's back to her normal self and she's just great! She's more hyper than ever but that's totally okay with me." Jack rambled, his excitement for his sister bleeding into his voice.

Elsa grinned when she saw how much Jack loved his sister. It reminded her a bit of how much she loved Ana.

"Do you spend a lot of time with your sister?" Elsa asked, curious.

"Yeah, totally! We've been spending a lot of time lately, you know? She just got better and everything. Just the other day, I took her to the park and we played hide and seek. She couldn't find me so she called my mother and some of our friends to help search for me! The little cheater! No one ever found me, surprisingly enough!" Jack babbled, lost in the delight of a memory.

"That sounds like so much fun." Elsa said wistfully. "Where were you hiding?"

"Haha, now that's my secret, right?" Jack grinned mischievously.

"Oh really? So you think you're some kind of a hide-and-seek champion?" Elsa challenged.

"Please. I am THE hide-and-seek champion!" Jack said proudly.

"Huh. Okay then. Let's play. Right now. If you can find me, then you have to tell me all your secrets!" Elsa jumped up excitedly.

"And if I find you?" Jack taunted.

"Ha, I doubt that'll happen!" Elsa grinned, her smile wider than it had been in years. For once, she was genuinely looking forward to something.

"But if it does?" Jack insisted, sure that he would win Elsa over.

"Ugh, fine. What do you want?"

"I want the same deal; you have to tell me all your secrets!" Jack grinned triumphantly.

Elsa hesitated, a little worried that if, _by some crazy ridiculous chance_ , that Jack  _actually won_ , she'd have to tell him about her powers. Despite Jack's irritating smirk and irksome happy-go-lucky nature, she somewhat enjoyed his company. And the last thing Elsa wanted was to have another person think that she was a monster. However, Elsa wasn't one to back away from a challenge.

"Fine."

"Ready? You hide, I'll seek!" Jack could barely contain his excitement.  _Time for some fun!_

Both kids, confident in their respective 'hiding and seeking' abilities, took off. Jack turned to count to 30 and Elsa quietly opened the door and tiptoed down the hall into a small crevice in the wall, covered by a huge tapestry.

 _He'll never find me in here!_  Elsa thought happily and settled in for a long wait and a well-timed dash to home base.

"28, 29, 30! Ready or not, here I come!" Jack said, spinning around.  _Crap,_  he thought, quickly realizing that he was at a disadvantage. He really didn't know the castle well at all. He thought Elsa's room was the infirmary. He decided to play it safe, check around the room and wait for Elsa to try to run for home base.

Until then, he would familiarize himself with Elsa's room. Even though it was summer, the room was a bit chilly and Jack found himself wrapping his cloak around himself a little tighter. It was a pretty room, but it didn't feel right. The walls were tinted blue and the entire room was in perfect order. Not a book was out of place and all the drawers and closets were fully closed. Jack sat himself down at Elsa's vanity and looked around. The surface was almost bare, except for a few hairpins, a bottle of perfume and a hairbrush. Her desk had 6 books neatly stacked and one perfect notebook, with neat notes and no writing in the margins. Jack looked through it, a frown depicting his features. There were no doodles, no little notes, no messy handwriting, nothing! Who was this girl? Jack set the notebook back on the desk and opted to look under the bed. He had no idea what he was looking for, but he just needed to find  _something._  Something that made her real, something that showed who she  _was._ There was literally nothing in the room that was personal or screamed  _Elsa._  Something was wrong…

Under the bed, there was nothing, except for a few dustballs and some… ice? Jack couldn't understand why a princess would have ice under her bed,  _in the summertime._

Jack was so distracted by the icicles under Elsa's bed that he didn't hear the quick pitter-patter of feet running towards the door.

"Home free!" Elsa grinned triumphantly.

"Wha – oh! No fair! Ow!" Jack shouted as he bumped his head against Elsa's bed.

"Shh! Don't be so loud! Someone might hear you!" Elsa reprimanded, unable to hold a serious face.

"Don't look so happy about it…" Jack mumbled, rubbing his abused head.

"So! Tell me where you were hiding!" Elsa knelt down in front of where Jack was sitting, crisscrossed.

"Jeez, give a guy a little break… I'm injured." Jack sniffed.

Rolling her eyes and giggling a bit, Elsa leaned against the foot of her bed. "I'm waiting…"

"You sure are a bossy princess." Jack smirked. Elsa glared at him and Jack laughed, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Haha, okay, okay! I was hiding in a tree." Jack laughed.

"In a tree?" Elsa asked incredulously.

"Yeah! I climbed up and every time someone got a little too close, I just climbed up higher. When everyone gave up, I swung down by my knees. It was pretty epic." Jack said, smugly.

"I've never climbed a tree before…" Elsa said softly.

"No way! No, that absolutely cannot be. Are you kidding me?" said Jack, skeptically.

"Well, yeah. I don't have that much wiggle room. I mean, I stay inside a lot and the gates are always closed so…"

"But you have a gorgeous courtyard!"

"But I can't go outside and  _just play!_ "

"Why not?"

"Because I- I... I can't! I just can't, okay?" Elsa's eyes teared up and Jack immediately regretted pushing the topic.

"Is this some stupid princess thing? A rule that you can't have fun?" Jack asked, angrily.

"What? I –I guess…. A stupid princess thing… something like that, yeah."

Jack pursed his lips in frustration. What kind of stupid rule was that?

"Everyone deserves to have fun. Seriously, we're going to have fun, okay? I promise. It's going to be my quest. You know how knights go on quests sometimes?" Elsa nodded. "Yeah, this will be my quest. You need a full makeover, Elsa. I'm going to give it to you! It's going to be awesome!" Jack said, getting more and more worked up by the minute.

"But… Jack..." Elsa said softly, but Jack couldn't hear her.

"Let's go now! I'll teach you how to climb a tree! It's so much fun and really easy too! Come on!" Jack reached for Elsa's hand but she pulled away, frightened this time.

"Don't!" Elsa hissed.

Jack looked at her in confusion reached for her hand again.

"Don't touch me, please!" Elsa whispered.

"Why not? Elsa, everyone deserves to live, to have fun, to have friends…" Jack trailed off. They were quiet for a while until Elsa's small, trembling voice broke the silence.

"Jack, are you my friend?" she asked.

"Yes." Jack said, without skipping a beat.

"Really?" Elsa turned to face him.

"Of course," Jack scoffed. "Elsa, of course I'm your friend. We are friends. Like I said, everyone needs friends."

"I think you're my first friend, besides Ana."

"Well, I'll make sure not to disappoint then!" Jack grinned, happy that Elsa was smilling again. "Come on, let's go climb that tree!" he said, standing up. He made sure not to grab Elsa's hand this time.  _Gotta pick my battles_ , he thought.

"Okay." Elsa smiled.

"Do you wanna call your sister along?" Jack asked.

"No! I mean… I don't think she'd want to see me now…" Elsa finished weakly.

 _What goes on in here?_  Jack wondered. He could see how much Elsa loved Ana and nothing added up. But then again, he decided not to push. Baby steps, he decided.

"Alright then, let's go…. Well crap." Jack sighed. Outside, it was getting dark and Jack needed to get home. Elsa realized it too, a little disappointed, but also a bit relieved.

"I need to go." Jack turned to face Elsa again.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe I'll see you again?" Elsa tried, hopeful.

"Definitely." Jack promised.

"Goodbye-" Elsa began.

"No, come on Elsa! Don't say things like that! 'Goodbye' sounds so final. I'll see you later, right?" Jack interrupted.

"Okay, see you later, Jack." Elsa said.

"There you go!" Jack grinned happily. "Never say goodbye unless it's forever, okay?"

"Okay."

"See ya, Elsa!"

Elsa went to sleep with a smile that night.

* * *

Elsa hadn't dreamt about Jack for a really long time, but now the memories shouted at her every time she closed her eyes.

Rubbing her eyes, she rushed to get ready for the day. Today was the day Ana and Kristoff left for the mountains and a little part of her was still worried. While she was doing her hair, someone knocked at the door. She almost didn't hear it because it was so soft.

"Come in!" Elsa shouted through the hairpins in her mouth.

Kristoff lumbered in, staring intently at the floor as he walked in. Closing the door, he took a deep breath.

"Queen Elsa? I- I just –" Kristoff began.

"Kristoff, we've been over this. You don't really have to use the 'Queen' title when we're in an informal setting, like this. We're friends, right?" Elsa said.  _After two years of dating my sister… you would think the guy would let loose a bit._  Elsa thought. Kristoff visibly relaxed a bit, but he was still jumpy, for some reason.

"Okay well. Um… I know how you reacted last time so I just really wanted to get your permission because I honestly think that we're ready and I know you might not agree so I want to assure you that it won't be immediate! Dear god, no. We'll definitely wait, but I mean, I don't even know because I still have to ask but you know, I kind of have a good feeling and –" Kristoff rambled.

"Kristoff! What is it?" Elsa laughed.

"I –I want to ask Ana to marry me. Can I have your blessing?" Kristoff finished, meeting Elsa's eyes nervously.

**A/N: Bit of a cliffhanger, sorry! But this is all going somewhere, PROMISE!**

**Reviews are chocolate, so PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Thank you!**


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